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The Exit
|name=The Exit |image=TheExit Cover1.jpg |imgsize=250px |author=Danny McAleese |editor= |artist= |intartist= |series= |parent= |pages=5 |publisher=Blizzard Entertainment |published=July 9, 2012 (fan version) July 1, 2014 (published version) |binding= |isbn10= |isbn13= |isbn10e= |isbn13e= |inseries1= |inseries2= |inseries3= |inseries4= |inseries5= |inseries6= |inseries7= |inseries8= |inseries9= |inseries10= }} The Exit is a short story set in the StarCraft universe. It was the winning entry of the 2011 Blizzard Global Writing Contest. It was later converted into published form with changes to its storyline. Its counterpart unit in the game guide is the marine. Description Join a motley crew of Marines left to their own devices in an abandoned, barely operational compound. With the Ghost in charge of their evac gone, and the rumblings of a potential Zerg threat in the vicinity, they'll be forced to play the hand they've been dealt if they want to survive. ---- If there was one thing the old marine was right about, it was the bitter cold. Six hours ago the furnace had finally burnt out, and although they'd found many things in the old bunker, fuel wasn't one of them. The geothermal conduits running through the floor offered the only heat they had left, but it was abysmally inadequate. Synopsis In a bunker, four marines sat in the cold. The power had run out and only the geothermal heating was on in their facility. One marine, Prescott, worried the Zerg were in the walls, which his comrades picked on him for. They discussed their situation; the zerg had overrun their base, and the only person who could call for evacuation was a ghost in the south tower. Their orders were to stay out of the facility until the zerg were spotted and the ghost could call down a nuclear strike. They tried to raise him on comms, but he had gone silent. It was agreed they that one of them had to go to the tower to find the ghost. It was decided they would do it over a poker game. It was Prescott that had the lowest hand, but it was revealed that Garrick was using a nine of diamonds from a different deck. Outraged, Garret refused to go, stating he had been in too many battles already, and attempted to force Prescott to go. Eventually, another marine named Charn offered to go. He went out of the bunker in a hobbled together CMC Powered Combat Suit, that wouldn't seal to protect him from the elements. He made his way to the machine shop but found a zergling inside. Charn killed it, but two more came in. He fought off two more zerglings, but used the last of his ARG-14's ammo to do so. He made it to the metal runs of the south tower, but more zerglings were upon him. Charn remembered his C-7 pistol, and used it to kill the last few zerglings. Charn climbed the tower, finally entering a heated area. He was able to see the horizon, including a gigantic zerg force far in the distance. He then found the ghost, who was standing quietly in the room. Charn questioned why they hadn't called for evac, and then demanded he drop a nuke on the zerg so he could go home. Charn then noticed the ghost had a neural parasite attached to his back, and he uttered the words "already done" before vanishing. A red down appeared on the floor, and the sound of machinery became louder and louder. Characters * Charn * Garrick * Kort * Prescott External Links *2011 Finalist Entry *McAleese, Danny. "The Exit." (July 1, 2014). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: The Exit Accessed 2014-07-02 Category:Short stories Category:Fan-created writing